Cooling device for a liquid container

The present invention relates to a cooling device for a drink container.

For the purpose of cooling or keeping cool a drink bottle use is frequently made of a so-called ice bucket, which is also referred to as wine cooler. The object of such ice buckets is that cold wine remains cooled and warm wine becomes cooler. Ice cubes are placed in such an ice bucket, after which the wine bottle is placed on or between the ice cubes. The ice will be able to absorb heat and hereby extract this heat from the wine bottle for some time. During this process the ice will be converted into water, whereby the wine bottle will become wet. A drawback of such ice buckets is therefore that the wine bottle becomes wet. This has the uncomfortable result that the label can become detached and the hands of the person who is pouring will become wet, or a towel is required during pouring. A further drawback of such an ice bucket is that a relatively large surface is required to enable placing of the bottle between ice cubes.

A further known prior art wine cooler provides a compartment for placing of the bottle with a separate adjacent compartment for ice cubes. A drawback of such a prior art cooler is also that a relatively large area is required for placing of this cooler on for instance a table. A further drawback of such a cooler is that two compartments can become contaminated with food during use thereof on a table. Cleaning of such a wine cooler with two adjacent compartments is therefore frequently necessary and difficult due to the mutually adjacent arrangement of two compartments. The size is also important here.

In order to obviate such drawbacks the present invention provides a cooling device for a drink container, comprising:

- a drink container compartment comprising a placing opening in or close to the top side thereof for placing of the drink container,

- a cooling means compartment for placing a cooling means therein, wherein:

- the cooling means compartment can be connected in thermal contact to the drink container compartment, and in the position of use the drink container compartment is arranged at least partly higher than or above the cooling means compartment.

An advantage of such cooling device according to the present invention is that it requires a relatively small 'footprint' relative to the diameter of a drink bottle, such as a wine bottle or a bottle suitable for other drinks. A further advantage is that, with this small surface area of the device, the bottle can nevertheless remain dry during cooling or keeping cool thereof.

In a first preferred embodiment the side walls of the cooling means compartment and the drink container compartment are connected in thermal contact to each other. A good conduction is hereby possible via the respective side walls of the two compartments. The heat can hereby also be conducted away from the top side of the device to the cold area of the device which, owing to thermal contact, can absorb this heat under the influence of the cooling means. The direct contact between the cooling means and the bottle of the known ice bucket is hereby unnecessary.

In a further preferred embodiment the cooling means compartment and the drink container compartment of the cooling device can be separated from each other by means of a separating member, and the separating member preferably provides a thermal contact. Such a further thermal contact enhances the above stated thermal contact.

The side walls of the cooling means compartment and the drink container compartment preferably comprise in the position of use at least one continuous side wall as seen from the bottom to the top. Such a continuous side wall can be manufactured in relatively simple manner, which is advantageous for the cost price of the device and otherwise furnishes a simple way of providing the thermal contact between the two compartments. The side wall of the cooling device is for instance obtained here by means of an extrusion process. Such an extrusion process for instance provides a cylindrical tube for manufacture of the cooling device therefrom. Other sectional forms which can be obtained by means of extrusion can also be envisaged.

The cooling device preferably comprises means for preventing leakage of condensation along the outer side of the side wall of the cooling device. A further drawback of a known ice bucket is that, depending on the degree of air humidity, condensed water occurs on the outer sides of the ice bucket. Such condensation results in an unpleasant dampness of the hands

when picking up the ice bucket and in moisture on a table top or a damp tablecloth. Such inconveniences are generally perceived as undesirable. These discomforts are at least partially prevented due to said means for preventing leakage of condensation along the outer sides of the side wall.

These means for preventing condensation preferably comprise grooves in the outer side of the side wall of the cooling device. Such grooves prevent water droplets resulting from condensation from trickling downward along the side wall of the cooling device, partly under the influence of the surface tension of water. For this purpose the grooves have a suitable sectional form, width and depth and mutual distance in order to optimally prevent the water droplets trickling downward.

An alternative solution according to the present invention for preventing the leakage of condensation relates to a collecting member, or condensation gutter, close to the underside of the outer side of the cooling device. With a correctly set volume of such a collecting member the water which condenses during a session of use of the cooling device can be collected satisfactorily.

The cooling device is preferably manufactured at least partially from a metal such as aluminium, steel or copper. An advantage hereof is that the heat from the bottle can be transmitted in efficient manner via the thermal contact. The conductivity of the materials does of course depend on the choice of material. The use of aluminium for instance provides a suitable device with a good heat conduction and an acceptable weight.

The separating member can preferably be placed on at least one support member. Such a support member can preferably be arranged or be fixed lying against the inner wall of the cooling device. In for instance a cylindrical cooling device the support member can be embodied as a tubular part fitting precisely inside the cooling device and having an outer diameter equal to or slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the cooling device. A very stable support is hereby provided for placing thereon of for instance a round disc or a cross for placing thereon of a bottle. It is however also possible for the separating member itself to be provided with three or more support legs on which it can be placed in a for instance cylindrical cooling device.

The separating member preferably comprises one or more openings for gripping thereof. It is hereby possible to take the separating member out of the cooling device in relatively simple manner by means of inserting the fingers through the openings.

In a further preferred embodiment the side wall of the cooling device comprises a window, wherein the window preferably has a width smaller than half the circumference and a height smaller than the height of the drink container compartment. An advantage of such a window is that the label of the bottle is visible while the bottle is situated in the drink container compartment.

Further advantages, features and details of the present invention will be described in greater detail hereinbelow on the basis of the preferred embodiments and with reference to the accompanying figures, wherein:

- Fig. 1 is a cut-away side view of a first preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

- Fig. 2 shows a detail of the embodiment of fig. 1 ;

- Fig. 3 is a top view of a component of the embodiment of fig. 1 ;

- Fig. 4 is a front view of a further preferred embodiment according to the present invention;

A first preferred embodiment (fig. 1 ) according to the present invention relates to a wine cooler 1. This wine cooler 1 comprises a cylindrical housing 6 manufactured from a metal by means of for instance an extrusion process. Other shapes such as polygons, optionally with rounded corners, are however likewise possible depending on the desired appearance.

The underside of the device is closed by means of a base 7. Situated above the base is an ice compartment 3 for placing ice cubes therein for the purpose of absorbing heat from the wine bottle. Situated above ice compartment 3 is bottle base 4 on which a bottle can be placed. Bottle base 4 also adjoins the underside of a bottle compartment 2 of wine cooler 1.

A cylinder 8, the outer diameter of which fits within the inner diameter of housing 6, is arranged on the inside of cylindrical housing 6 for the purpose of supporting bottle base 4. This cylinder 8 is fixed to the inside of housing 6 by means of glueing. The top side of cylinder 8 also forms the top side of ice compartment 3 through placing of bottle base 4 thereon. The

application of such a cylinder 8 to support the bottle base provides for a very simple placing of the bottle base, since it is supported in any orientation of the bottle base inside housing 6.

Instead of such a cylinder 8 it is likewise possible to place other support means in the ice compartment for the purpose of supporting bottle base 4. It is possible here to envisage for instance an annular support member which is adhered inside housing 6 and the top side of which is situated at the height of the top side of the present cylinder 8. It is also possible to provide the underside of the bottle base with support legs, whereby the unit of bottle base 4 and support legs is removable. Three support legs suffice for this purpose, although more, for instance four, are also possible. A further example of support for bottle base 4 are for instance supports or support legs which are adhered to the inner side of wall 6 and on which the bottle base can be placed.

The operation of this wine cooler 1 is as follows. Before bottle base 4 is placed, ice cubes or another cooling means are placed in ice compartment 3. The bottle base is then placed in order to define the top of the ice compartment and the bottom of the bottle compartment. The metal wall 6 extending over the full height of the wine cooler provides a heat conduction for conducting heat to the ice cubes in the ice compartment. The whole wall 6 will hereby be strongly cooled in a relatively short period of time. In addition to walls 6, bottle base 4 will also be cooled. The rate of the temperature change in the walls and the bottle base depends on the heat conduction in the materials thereof. Metals such as aluminium, copper or steel are preferably applied in these walls. Aluminium for instance has the advantage that it is relatively lightweight and has a relatively good heat conduction. This material can further be provided with a desired appearance by means of suitable treatments.

As can also be seen in detail Il of figure 2, base 7 of the wine cooler is provided with a collecting gutter 12 which is defined by an upright edge on the outer side of base 7 and by wall 6 of the wine cooler. This collecting gutter 12 provides the option of collecting condensed water which can accumulate on the outer side of wall 6. This prevents rings forming on a tabletop or a tablecloth becoming damp or wet.

In order to attach base 7 to wall 6 the base is provided with an upright edge 10 which is arranged lying against wall 6 after assembly. It hereby becomes possible for instance to glue the contact surfaces. It is further possible to fix base 7 to the inner side of wall 6 by means of a shrink attachment. In such a fixing method the base 7 is strongly cooled and wall 6 is heated, they are positioned relative to each other and clamped firmly against each other by heating and cooling respectively, whereby the base expands and the cylinder wall shrinks. The use of a glueing and/or filling agent on the contact surfaces is also possible in such a treatment.

Figure 3 shows bottle base 4 in greater detail. Bottle base 4 is preferably a substantially circular plate provided with gripping openings 15. The content of the ice compartment can further be monitored through gripping openings 15. For practical placing in the wine cooler the substantially circular body of bottle base 4 is provided with projections 16, whereby only a small part of the periphery of the bottle base will be able to contact the side wall during placing.

On the outer side of cylindrical wall 6 of wine cooler 1 this wall is provided with grooves 9. These grooves 9 prevent condensation droplets forming on the surface of the body trickling downward. These droplets spread through the grooves. Downward trickling is further prevented under the influence of the surface tension of the water. Such grooves have dimensions as designated in claim 7. Such grooves are preferably situated over a relatively large surface area of the wine cooler. The grooves can extend as far as the base of the wine cooler. Several tens to hundreds of grooves can be present. The grooves can be defined as separate, horizontal, cylindrical grooves separated from each other, although they can likewise consist of a long helical groove extending at a slight angle from bottom to top over the surface of the wine cooler.

In the embodiment of figure 4 wine cooler 13 is also provided with a window 14. Such a window makes it possible for the label of a bottle to be visible while the bottle is placed in the cooler. Use is further made here of the advantage that the label remains dry while situated in the wine cooler.

Base 7 of the wine cooler is preferably manufactured from a heat- insulating material, which prevents the forming of condensation. The placing surface of the wine cooler is hereby further prevented from getting wet.

The present invention is described in the foregoing on the basis of several preferred embodiments. Different aspects of different embodiments are deemed as described in combination with each other, wherein all combinations which can be made by a skilled person on the basis of this document should be included. These preferred embodiments are not limitative for the scope of protection of this text. The rights sought are defined in the appended claims.